Andrew Kanago gives us a psychological thriller that will forever stick in our psyche in A Touch of Happy. A slow build into an unpredictable ending that leaves you shaking your head.
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- Title: A Touch of Happy
- Author: Andrew Kanago
- Publisher: Hellbound Books on December 6, 2019
- Genre: Supernatural Thriller
- Pages: 290
- Rating: 4/5
Trigger Warnings: Murder, Rape, Mental illness, Violence, Gun violence
I would like to thank Hellbound Books for giving me a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Purchase Link: Amazon
Synopsis
“Mark Peter – middle aged, soft belly, weed wacker haircut – likes the quiet life. Any day spent indoors eating frozen pizzas, painting RPG figures in the basement, and feeding his scruffy cat is a good day.
The problem is the outside world. When Mark touches certain things, he draws. Sometimes it’s a little boy lost in the woods, sometimes a throw pillow held tight against a grandmother’s face as she scratches at gloved hands. The FBI likes to call on Mark to help find missing people. Sometimes they’re even found alive.
Then a body is found in a neighboring town, and the FBI thinks it is the work of a murderer long thought dead. Mark refuses to help, and more bodies are found. Then the killer gets in contact with the quiet, middle-aged man with a weed wacker haircut.
If that isn’t enough, Mark may have found his soulmate.” – Hellbound Books
My Review of A Touch of Happy
Andrew Kanago gives us a psychological thriller that will forever stick in our psyche in A Touch of Happy. A slow build into an unpredictable ending that leaves you shaking your head.
My Review
The premise of A Touch of Happy is what drew me to this book. The main character is an average man who seems weird but in a way that makes you want to get to know him.
We begin with Mark helping the FBI with a missing child case. His friend Bill is also one of the FBI agents tasked with solving the case. The reader listens to Bill wheedle Mark into helping even though Mark doesn’t want to. You see, Mark has a strange gift, but it comes with a debilitating cost.
The book goes on, and Bill repeatedly comes to Mark, even though he sees the toll this gift takes on him. Then, Mark meets Ms. Hapke, who tells him to call her Happy. Happy brings out great things in Mark, and he feels like he may be close to leading a “normal” life.
Through the whole book, I wondered if Mark would get his chance at happiness, or if it would all come crashing down around him.
Characters
I enjoyed this book. The characters are interesting and worth learning about their histories. I can’t say that I liked any of the characters. They all had their flaws, but most of them were not likable, not even Mark. He was whiny and a bit annoying to be honest. But I did feel for him. His childhood and the stress he had to deal with daily kept him in a shell of sorts.
Bill was not for me. I was angry at him during the whole book. He should have taken more care to protect his friend. However, Happy was one character that I thoroughly enjoyed. She pushed Mark out of his comfort zone and helped him learn to hope for a better tomorrow.
Feelings
There are two things that I disliked about this book, other than the louse that Bill was. First, everyone tries to live Mark’s life for him. Between Bill and his sister, Mark couldn’t do anything right. They kept pushing him, all the while claiming to protect him. Only Happy was there for him in a way that helped.
I didn’t particularly appreciate that the ending was tied up too fast and left me feeling more confused than anything else. I’m not saying that it isn’t good. Still, I think that the reader could have gotten a little more information that would make them understand, and maybe even sympathize, but the ending was too rushed for me.
In Conclusion
As a reader, I would recommend those who like psychological thrillers to pick up a copy of this book. The book is a good read, and quick too. I award 4 out of 5 stars to A Touch of Happy. I took one away due to the rushed ending.
About the Author
Andrew Kanago was born and raised in American midwest. In the fourth grade, Mrs. Arent had to quiet him down because he was laughing out loud while reading Judy Blume.
In his 20’s, Andrew worked as a political aide, small-town journalist, telemarketer, senior customer finance administrator, janitor, and warehouse loader. He finally hit upon the idea of becoming a teacher, both at the high school and college level.
He wanted to be a writer since high school but sadly lacked the discipline for many years. It was only after meeting his wife, Heather, that Andrew began to develop the discipline needed to embark on a writing career.
He spent several years writing a 210,000-word magnus opus that lacked a plot or any recognizable characterization. It was the best writing education he could have received.
Andrew currently resides in Nebraska with his family. – Hellbound Books
This looks so good, I’m going to have to add it to my TBR!
Great review 🙂
It really was good.